MIDDLETOWN >> U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has designated Middletown’s Pegasus Manufacturing as Murphy’s “Monday Manufacturer.”

Murphy, who started the Monday Manufacturing series in 2014, said with new opportunities and potential job openings, today’s manufacturers are not similar to those of 50 years ago. He added that he wants to promote Connecticut manufacturing through this weekly recognition series.

A second-generation, family-owned company founded in 1989, Pegasus is a contract manufacturer of fabricated tube and pipe assemblies and machined components used on air, land, sea and subsurface products, including jet engines, rocket engines, ground turbine generators, fuel cells and submarine systems.

Pegasus President Chris DiPentima said recent investments have supported Connecticut manufacturers and the next generation of the state’s workforce.

“[This] will ensure that Connecticut remains a manufacturing powerhouse with a highly productive workforce second to none.”

With the help of its 78 employees, Pegasus serves more than 70 international and domestic customers, including the U.S. Coast Guard, NASA, Pratt & Whitney (also based in Middletown), Sikorsky and Electric Boat — all out of its 52,000-square-foot facility.

Since 2009, Pegasus has more than doubled its business; in the last year, the manufacturer has seen a 30-percent growth in revenue.

Today, the firm is a top domestic supplier of tube assemblies to Rolls Royce and General Electric Aviation.

Murphy praised Pegasus for its continued effort to promote existing staff members and to fill positions by hiring individuals from technical high schools.

The company provides each employee with an average of 30 hours of training a year and partners with community programs such as the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

These help local, unemployed workers and young adults secure well-paying careers in the manufacturing sector.

In the last year, Pegasus has hired several new employees from these workforce development programs, and has experienced a 21-percent growth in employment.

“Connecticut manufacturers make the greatest products in the world; that’s why so many domestic and international businesses rely on companies like Pegasus to complete their largest and most sensitive projects,” Murphy said.

The senator wants to keep such businesses in the state.

“If state manufacturers lack skilled workers to build in-demand products, then companies will look elsewhere for production, ultimately costing Connecticut valuable business and new jobs.”

Murphy said Pegasus is doing its part by encouraging new workers to acquire skills they need to be successful engineers and technicians, “helping secure Connecticut’s bright future in manufacturing.”

DiPentima said his clients and government officials play a big part.

“Every successful business is a result of the support it gets from inside as well as outside its walls,” he said. “Our 26-year longevity and success with domestic and international customers would not have been possible without the support we receive at local and state levels.”

“I’m proud of Connecticut’s growing advanced manufacturing sector and jobs being created in the state,” Murphy said.

The senator’s hope is that his series will bring attention to the more than 4,000 businesses that comprise Connecticut’s manufacturing sector “whose hard work drives our state’s economy and helps millions of families climb the ladder to success.”

According to Murphy, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2 percent of the state’s jobs and 87 percent of the state’s total exports.

To protect and grow manufacturing jobs in the state, the senator has introduced legislation to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods — the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.